Syria: EU welcomes peace halt

“…The announcement of an agreement for cessation of hostilities on the eve of a New Year is welcome”- – says a statement of EU top diplomat Federica Mogherini commenting on the situation in Syria in hope for a lasting cessation of hostilities, the first one since the last peace halt in Syria failed.

“What matters first and foremost is that it can be implemented fully and by all the parties to the conflict. Reports of continued air strikes and fighting in Wadi Barada are a matter of concern. But if implemented fully, the cessation can open the way to unhindered and countrywide humanitarian access to those in need.”

The EU diplomats expect the success of the peace halt to open the way to a renewal of intra-Syrian talks under UN auspices in the format foreseen by the UN Security Council, as well as the resumption of Syrian talks in Geneva.

The EEAS confirmed the continuity of efforts to work with the regional parties, reflected in a proposal to host bilateral talks in Brussels mid-January to find common ground on the post-conflict Syria, focusing on reconciliation and reconstruction, in full coordination with Geneva talks in February.

The EU has and will continue to be the biggest humanitarian aid donor in Syria and in the neighbouring countries with over 9 billion euros committed since the start of the crisis.
Engaged in humanitarian mission, the EU is determined to help the Syrian people to rebuild their country once the political conditions are in place. However, the EU diplomats underline that the lasting solution is possible only with the ‘decisive defeat of Daesh’.